lfinkenkeller 's review for:

The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory by Thomas Fuller

4.25

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

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I really liked The Boys of Riverside. I loved learning about the team members, and how they communicated on the football field. I loved learning more about the deaf community. I loved that the team worked so hard together, so they would have a chance at playing in the championship game. They weren't distracted by the hoopla of most high school football games. They worked together as a team. They were so in tune with each other. What a special group of athletes and coaches!  
However, I was saddened that many of the team members and coaches felt so left out in the hearing community. The team was thought to be inferior because they were deaf. It was only when they played against a hearing team that the team was taken seriously. Colleges didn't want to provide programs for deaf high school athletes no matter how good they were because they didn't want to have to go to the trouble of finding interpreters. What a sad commentary on our society.
Despite being deaf, playing and practicing on a substandard field, being thought of as inferior, the book was so uplifting and inspiring. The team showed so much resilience, grit, and determination. They made you want to root for them in every way.